Chair foldable to form a bed



March 12, 195? R. HALE 2,784,766

CHAIR FOLDABLE TO FORM A BED Filed Jan. 12, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l FIE..z

IN VEN TOR. 2P0 TH HALE ATTJRNEI/A R. HALE CHAIR FOLDABLE TO FORM A BEDMarch 12, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 12. 1953 United CHAIRFOLDABLE T Foam A unit) Ruth Hale, Minneapoiis, Minn. ApplicationJanuary 12, 1953; Serial No. 339,313

7 Claims. (Cl. 155-47) This invention relates to a chair, andparticularly to a chair comprising a'stati-onary section and pivotedsection's. Said pivoted sections are swingable together to form the backof said chair and are also swingable into substantial horizontalalignment with each other and with said first mentioned section to forma bed. Said first mentioned section is provided with legs and saidsecond and third sections carry leg members which are pivoted to beswung between said second and third sections when said sections form theback of said chair.

It is an object of this invention to provide such a chair as above setforth which is of simple construction and which can be easily convertedfrom its position forming a chair to its position forming a bed.

It is another object of the invention to provide a chair having astationary section comprising a substantially rectangular frame having acushion at its top with leg members supporting said frame, a secondsection pivoted to the rear side of said section and also comprising asubstantially rectangular frame with a cushion at it's top, togetherwith athird section pivoted to the free side of said second section,said third section also comprising a substantially rectangular framewith a cushion at its top, said second and third sections beingswingable' into substantially horizontal position with their cushionssubstantially aligned with the cushion of said first mentioned sec tionto'form ab'ed, said-second and third sections cornprising? pivotedmembers adapted to be extended to form legs and which arefold'ablebetween saidsccond'and third sections when the latter are inpositionforming the back of saidchair;

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be fullyset forth in the following" description madein connection with theaccompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer tosimilar parts throughout the-several views andinwhich:

Fig. 1 is a viewin sideeleva-tion of the'chair;

Fig.- 2 is a partial view showing certain sections in differentpositions;

Fig. 3' is a partial vertical section taken centrally through the chairshowing sections in partly folded'position;

Fig. 4 is a partial view similar to Fig. 2 showing a modification;

Fig; 5 isa view in side elevation showing the chair in Fig. is a brokenaway portion on an enlarged scale with a portion thereof in verticalsection.

Referring to the drawings, a device isshown comprisingka' stationarysection 10. This sectioncomprises a rectangular frame 10a fronithecorners of whichdepend 2,7843% Patented Mar. 12, 11.957

rigid members ldb which have secured to their lower ends front and rearhorizontal members We and 10d respectively. While various forms ofmaterial might be used, in the embodiment of the invention illustrated,members 10a and front members fttib are shown as made of angle iron. Aboard or plate we is secured to the front of said frame, the same beingfiush with the bottom of plates 11% at its lower end and extending ashort distance above the top members ltia. A support. ltlf is providedfor a plurality of compression springs liig, which support might takevarious forms, such as the plate shown. A suitable cover 10h extendsover the springs leg thus form'- ing a cushion, the same extendingdownnover the front of member me. While cover Iilh can be variouslymade; in the embodiment of the inventionillustrated, it is shown ashaving spaced layers of suitable fabric with cushioning materialtherebetween. The cushioning material tapers downwardly at the front andsides and only the fabric layers are used adjacent the bottom of thecover. Boards or plates 101 are provided at the sides of said frame andsaid cover extends downwardly at the sides to the bottom of members101'. The cover is divided near its bottom and a cord or bead 101' isshown extending around the front and sides of section It) and partiallyaround the rear thereof. Cover Iidh at its rear side is securedto therear side of a bar ltlk extending transversely of the frame and on topof members 10a. Cover 1012 can be secured in any suitable manner, asbytacks of nails. The plates 10: extend rearwardly beyond the verticalmembers Itlb and the same are provided with horizontal surfaces 10m fromwhich extend downwardly vertical surfaces llln, which in turn extend tohorizontal surfaces lilo. A board or plate 19p extends between platesltii, the same inclining downwardly and forwardly and being covered atits rear side with a layer of fabric ltiq. One or more pins 10)" whichextend vertically from the top of boarder plate 10p are disposed inrecesses 22 and are preferably yieldingly or resiliently supported. Saidrecesses 22 have compression coiled springs 26 therein engaged at theirtops by said pins 10). Each pin 1dr has a small pin 27 pro jecting intoa recess 2'7 extending transversely into each of said pins. Said pins 27engage the top of recess 22 so as to limit the outward movement of pins1%)). Pins ltlr move into recesses 22 in bores 22c. Alayer of strongfabric ltts is secured to the rear side of board 10p at its lower endand is secured to the rear side of bar 10k at its upper end. A bar 11shown as an angle bar extends transversely of the frame 12a of a section12 of the device and isarran e-d to engage the fabric 10s. Section 10has a pair of legs 1th at its front end and a similar pair" of legs 10!at its rear portion. The pairs of legs 10! are of course spacedlaterally. Said legs ltlt are secured to members and 10d respectively asby bolts Hit and are respectively positioned between said members andsaid'sides 101'. The rear legs 10! are additionally secured to the rearsupporting members ltlb. Frame 10a has a lug 10a which is pivoted toframe 12a of section 12 by pivot 17.

The frame 12a of the central section 12 is of rectangular form. Bars121) are disposed at the ends thereof and a cushioned cover similar tocover ltih is secured at its edges to the bars 1%. A plurality of coiledcom pression springs 12d are disposed beneath cover 12c and section 22is provided, the same having a rectangular frame 22a shown as made ofangle bars. A bar 22b extends along and is secured to the inner end offrame 22a to which is secured the inner edge portion of a cushionedcover 220! similar to cover 10h. Plates or boards 22c extend along frame22a at the sides thereof and the side portions of cover 22d are securedto the outer sides thereof. Said boards 220 have projecting portions22c1 having sides at right angles, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5. Boards 220have edge portions and surfaces 22h extending at right angles to theouter sides of projections 2201' and edge portions and surfaces 22hextend at obtuse angles to portions 22i across the ends of said boardsand form the outer ends thereof. The end portions of boards 22c areprovided with recesses 22 which receive pins 101'. A multiplicity ofcompression coiled springs 22.2 are disposed between cover 22d and aplate supported on frame 2211. A pair of legs 23 are provided and whilethese may be variously made, they are illustrated as made of angle bars.These legs are respectively pivoted adjacent the free end of frame 22 bypivots 24. A short bar 25 extends inwardly from the end of each leg 23to which is pivotally secured by a pivot 28 a link 29 which is pivotedat its other end to bar 14 adjacent the upper end thereof by a pivot 30.There will be two of the bars or links 29, one at each side of frame22a. Frame 22a is pivotally connected to one of the lugs 14a of bar 14by a pivot 32. A link 34, similar to link 18, is pivoted at one end topin 16 and at its other end is pivoted by a pivot 35 to frame 22a.

In operation, when the device is in position forming a chair, as shownin Fig. 1, sections 22 and 12 are folded together, as shown, so thattheir frame portions are in contact. At this time the projections 2201are disposed in the angle formed by surface ltim and the rear end ofsection 10. Theedges and surfaces 2271 of boards 22c engage the verticalsurfaces ltin on the boards 14): of section 10. The end portions 221 ofboards 22c engage the horizontal surfaces 100 of boards 1th of section10. When the end portion 221' of section 22 swings to the position shownin Fig. l, the pins ltlr are depressed and when said section comes intoplace, said pins move upwardly into the recesses 22 Section 22 is thenfirmly locked in the position shown in Fig. 1. When the sections 12 and122 are folded together, the links 18 and 34 swing about their pivotsand approach each other, as shown in Fig. 3, and pivot member 16 movestoward the free end of member 14. The leg 23 swings inwardly about pivot24 so that it folds into the frame 22a. All of the parts are thus nicelyfolded within sections 12 and 22.

When the device is to be opened to form a bed, section 22 is swungoutwardly from the position shown in Fig.1 about pivot 32 and section 22and 12 are then brought into substantial horizontal alignment, as shownin Figs. and 6. Section 12 swings down to horizontal position about itspivots 17. The members 14 and 23 are brought to vertical position andthe sections are sup ported on these members and the legs 1dr. Link 29tends to hold members 1.4 in vertical position. The device now forms avery comfortable bed. The provision of the projection 2201 which fits asabove described and the catch or latch 1dr makes it possible to push thechair about by pressing on the back at the top portion, as shown in Fig.1, without swinging section 12 to move the parts out of the positionshown in Fig. l. The chair canthus be moved forwardly or backw-ardly bytaking hold of the top of the back portion without displacing thesections. The strip s is provided to form resistance when section 12 isswung down to horizontal position. The member 11 moving along said stripcauses considerable frictional resistance and prevents section 12 fromdropping.

In Fig. 4 substantially the same structure is shown as alreadydescribed, sections 10', 12' and 22' being identical 4 with sections 10,12 and 22 already described, with the exception that instead of the pins10r a depressible plate spring catch 36 is shown projecting abovesurface 10a. Catch 36 has portions disposed at an acute angle. The

end of section 22' carries a catch or latch member 37 having partsdisposed at an acute angle. Catch 37 will be rigid with section 22'.When section 22 swings to the position shown in Fig. 1, lower portion oflatch member 37 will cam against and rest in lat-ch member 36 and willcome to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4. Section 22 willthus be held firmly in position and the chair can be pushed or pulledabout by the back member without displacing the sections.

From the above description it will be seen that I have provided acomparatively simple and very eflicient device which can form either achair or a bed. The device is easily converted from one to the other andis very securely held in either of said positions. The device has beenamply demonstrated in actual practice, found to be very successful andeificient and is being commercially made.

It will of course be understood that various changes may be made in theform, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts, withoutdeparting from the scope of applicants invention, which, generallystated, consists in a device capable of carrying out the objects aboveset forth, in the parts and combinations of parts disclosed and definedin the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A convertible chair having in combination, a front section having aleg-supporting frame and being unobstructed at its sides, a cushionsupported on said frame, a second section pivoted to the rear side ofsaid frame and comprising a second frame with a second cushion thereonand swingable upwardly to a position to form the back of said chair anddownwardly to bring said cushions into substantially horizontalalignment, a third section pivoted to said second frame at the sidethereof opposite said first mentioned section and comprising a thirdframe with a third cushion thereon, said third sec tion being swingableto a position in the rear of said second section to form a portion ofthe back of said chair and being swingable to a horizontal position withsaid third cushion in substantially horizontal alignment with said firstmentioned and second cushions, legs pivoted to the free end of saidthird frame for supporting the. same when in horizontal position, a barat each side of said third frame pivoted to said second and third framesat their adjacent ends, links pivoted to said bars respectively andpivoted to said legs adjacent the free end of said third frame, saidbars each having a longitudinal slot. therein, a pin movable in saidslot, links pivoted to said pin at one end and respectively pivoted tosaid second and third frames, said bars forming legs when said sectionsare in substantially horizontal alignment, said links and said legmembers being foldable between said second and third sections when saidsections are in position forming the back of said chair, a projection atthe rear of said first section and means in said projection for holdingsaid third section in locked position on said projection.

2. A convertible chair having in combination, a front section having aleg-supported frame, a cushion supported on said frame, a second sectionpivoted to the rear side of said frame and comprising a second framewith a second cushion thereon and swingable upwardly to a position toform the back of said chair and downwardly to bring said cushions intosubstantially horizontal alignment, at third section pivoted to saidsecond frame at the side thereof opposite said first mentioned sectionand comprising a third frame with a third cushion thereon, said thirdsection being swingable to a position in the rear of said second sectionto form a portion of the back of said chair and being swingable to ahorizontal position with said third cushion in substantially horizontalalign-j mentwith said first mentioned and second cushions, said;

first mentioned section having members at the sides thereof havingrearwardly extending projections, each having 'a ledge thereon with avertical surface at its inner side, said third section having secondmembers at its sides each with projections thereon having surfacesengageable with said ledges and vertical surface-s respectively forsupporting the free end of said third section when said chair is infolded chair-forming position one of said surfaces of said secondmembers forming the outer end surface of said third section andcooperative locking means respectively on said ledges and a pair of saidengageable surfaces for freely detachably holding said second and thirdsections in locked position when in said last mentioned position saidend surface of said third section resting on the lowermost of saidledges.

3. A convertible chair having in combination, a front section having aleg supported frame, a cushion supported on said frame, a second sectionpivoted to the rear side of said frame and comprising a second framewith a second cushion thereon and swingable upwardly to a position toform the back of said chair and downwardly to bring said cushions intosubstantially horizontal alignment, a third sect-ion pivoted to saidsecond frame at the side thereof opposite said first mentioned sectionand comprising a third frame with a third cushion thereon, said thirdsection being swingable to a position in the rear of said second sectionto form a portion of the back of said chair and being swingable to ahorizontal position with said third cushion in substantially horizontalalignment with said first mentioned and second cushions, said firstmentioned section having memebrs at to sides thereof having downwardlystepped formations at their rear ends respectively comprising horizontaland vertical surfaces, said third section having second members at itssides each having end portions with stepped formations at the free endsthereof comprising vertical and horizontal surfaces and the outermost ofsaid surfaces forming an end portion of said third section, said lastmentioned surfaces being adapted respectively to engage said firstmentioned surfaces with said end portion of said third section restingon the lowermost horizontal surface of said first section when saidsecond and third sections are in positions forming the back of saidchair and cooperating means respectively on an engaging pair of saidsurfaces for freely detachably holding said second and third sectionslocked in said last mentioned position.

4. A convertible chair having in combination, a front section having afirst rigid frame, a cushion carried by said frame, a second sectionhaving a second frame swingingly connected to the rear of said firstframe, a third section having a third frame swingingly connected to therear of said second frame, said sections being adapted to be moved toposition in substantially horizontal alinement to form a couch, and saidsecond and third sections being swingable upwardly to form the back ofsaid chair, said front section having a strip of flexible materialsecured thereto extending downwardly adjacent its rear end and saidsecond frame having a bar extending transversely and adapted to engagesaid strip to prevent dropping of said second section.

5. A convertible chair having in combination, a front section comprisinga first frame being unobstructed at its sides, a cushion supported onsaid frame, a second section comprising a second frame swinginglyconnected to the rear of said first frame, a second cushion on saidsecond frame, said second section being swingable upwardly to a positionto form the back of said chair, a third section comprising a third frameswingingly connected to the rear of said second frame, a cushion carriedby said third section, legs adjacent the rear of said third section, aleg at each side of said chair adjacent the adjacent ends of said secondand third sections, a pair of links at each side of said chair connectedat one of their ends to said second and third sections respectively, amember connecting the other ends of said links, said last mentioned leghaving a slot extending longitudinally thereof in which said member ismovable, a projection at the rear of said first section for supportingsaid third section when placed in vertical position and means on saidprojection for holding said third section in locked position thereon.

6. A convertible chair having in combination, a stationary sectionprovided with spaced supporting legs and having unobstructed sides, asecond swingable section having one end pivoted to the rear of saidfirst section, a third section pivoted to the free end of said secondsection, said second and third sections being swingable intosubstantially horizontal positions substantially aligned with said firstsection, and said second and third sections being foldable together anddisposed adjacent the vertical to form the back of the chair, a surfaceat the free end of said third section and a mating surface at the rearend of said first section having freely disengageable abutting latchmembers, said latch members respectively comprising angle members havingengaging surfaces forming acute angles, said engaging surfaces incliningdownwardly and inwardly when in engaged position whereby when saidsecond and third sections are in position forming the chair back saidlatch members hold the second and third sections upright in lockedposition, and legs carried by said second and third sections forsupporting said second and third sections when in substantiallyhorizontal position.

7. A convertible chair having in combination, a front section having afirst rigid frame, a cushion carried by said frame, a second sectionhaving a second frame swingably connected to the rear of said firstframe, a third section having a third frame swingably connected to therear of said second frame, said sections being adapted to be moved toposition in substantially horizontal alinement to form a couch, and saidsecond and third sections being swingable upwardly to form the back ofsaid chair, said from section having flexible means at its rear endportion adapted to be engaged by an adjacent portion of said secondsection to provide support for said portion of said second section whensaid second section is moved to horizontal position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS685,017 Umstead Oct. 22, 1901 746,446 Bown Dec. 8, 1903 1,083,424Anderson Jan. 6, 1914 1,395,153 Schomacker Oct. 25, 1921 2,257,753Martin Oct. 7, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS 198,302 Canada Mar. 16, 1920 441,106Great Britain Ian. 13, 1936 839,548 Germany Sept. 8, 1952

